Heritage Interpretation: Planning, Process, and Implementation
INTERPRETIVE PLANNING (TOPIC 5)
As noted by Miró (1997), interpretive planning must address three basic premises:
- The relationship between heritage and identity: how heritage can act as a generator of local identity and image.
- The relationship between heritage and economics: how to guarantee the profitability of investments in equity.
- The relationship between heritage and society: to what extent the development of an equity offer will help to improve the quality of the population’s life.
Heritage interpretation is a complex act that needs analysis to answer several questions:
- What do we interpret?
- Who makes the interpretation?
- Who is acting?
- What are the goals of interpretation?
- What level and what will be done using the results of interpretation?
- What is the context of what we interpret?
- In which context do we interpret?
- How do we interpret?
- What is the performance device?
- Which is the method used?
- What type of references do we need?
- What underlies the interpretation?
Although there are no magic recipes, some authors propose methods for implementing interpretive plans.
Miranda Morales (1998) states that interpretation is a communication process consisting of several elements or moments of action, described as follows:
- Diagnostic of a reality: Do we need interpretation? What for? How to enhance management of the historic or natural area?
- Interpretive Planning: A rational formulation process of objectives, analysis of resources and their potentials (as well as limitations), analysis of virtual users, definition of the messages to be transmitted, choice of means of interpretation and definition of equipment and interpretive services necessary, recommendations for program implementation (staff, works), and suggestions for evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. The result of this process is an “Interpretation Plan”.
- Specific design media, equipment, and programs: A creative process, conducted by specialists in the field, after having an Interpretation Plan and following the guidelines in this document.
- Execution of works and implementation of the programs: As defined in the Interpretation Plan and Specific Designs, interpretation results in personnel, materials, and programs.
- Presentation of heritage visitors: A “penultimate” meaningful action that requires all the previous effort, because without interpretive planning, it falls hopelessly into improvisation, lack of coordination, and waste of funds.
- Evaluation: Evaluates as recommended in the Plan, or by applying assessment strategies (routine), that the service staff deems appropriate for interpretation of the place. There are methods to evaluate the performance, some borrowed from other disciplines.
- Feedback: That is, the addition to the programs of the results and the evidence arising from the evaluation. The whole system has to focus on the product, of their own analysis, to improve customer service.